Two of the oldest and winningest teams in continental basketball face in Round 24, as Panathinaikos AKTOR Athens (14-9) welcomes EA7 Emporio Armani Milan (10-13) at OAKA Altion on Wednesday at 20:15 CET.
Panathinaikos hosts Milan in heavyweight clash
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5 Min lectura
Tradition on and off the bench
Panathinaikos first put a basketball team together in 1919. Milan was founded in 1936. Both teams combine for 69 domestic league titles in 10 decades, which says enough about their legacy. Panathinaikos and Milan also combine for nine top continental titles. Both teams are trying to get back to the very elite of European basketball. In 2021, Milan reached the EuroLeague Final Four for the last time since 1992. Panathinaikos won five of its six EuroLeague titles from 2000 to 2011, but has not made it to the Final Four since 2012. Both teams have deep rosters and above all, made sure to get a coach that knows what it takes to be a champion.
Panathinaikos head coach Ergin Ataman has won consecutive EuroLeague titles with Anadolu Efes Istanbul in 2021 and 2022. It is the highlight of a legendary career which saw him lift three other European trophies and become the only head coach to win the Turkish League title with three different teams. Ettore Messina has a double role of president and head coach in Milan. He won the Italian League with three different teams and lifted the EuroLeague trophy four teams, twice each with Virtus Segafredo Bologna (1998, 2001) and CSKA Moscow (2006, 2008). Each Ataman and Messina have worked in more than 400 games, so the tactical battle should be one to follow closely.
Mirotic, back to OAKA
There are some good news for Milan, that is gradually bringing back players to have a deeper rotation. Shavon Shields already played two EuroLeague games after his injury, Maodo Lo returned last week and now, superstar forward Nikola Mirotic is back in action and expected to play in Athens. He returned in an Italian League game this season, getting 16 points and a PIR of 19 in barely 15 minutes. Mirotic's return is definitely not good news for Panathinaikos, who has won his last seven games against the Greens. He has played really well against Panathinaikos, particularily at OAKA Altion.
Since joining FC Barcelona, Mirotic played four games in the Greek capital and beat Panathinaikos all four times, scoring 20 points or more in each game, and getting his team's highest PIR in each and every showdown. In four games at OAKA since coming back from the NBA, Mirotic averages 22.8 points, hitting 17 of 23 two-pointers (73.9% 2FG), 12 of 26 three-pointers (46.2% 3FG) and 21 of 24 free throws (87.5% FT), adding 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 fouls drawn and a PIR of 27.0. Mirotic definitely feels comfortable in OAKA, he also won with Real Madrid in his only visit to the building with Los Blancos, and has a chance to prove it again, this time with a different team.
Panathinaikos looks for backcourt answers
Panathinaikos faces this game star playmaker Kostas Sloukas sidelined. Luca Vildoza, who missed his team's last four games, is questionable for this game and if he plays, probably not in the best rhythm after a month sidelined. All that forces Coach Ataman to be a little bit creative when it comes to organizing his team's offense, as Sloukas not only averaged 10.9 points and a team-high 5.5 assists, but is his team's first option in crunch time due to his experience and great clutch skills. Two players are expected to take center stage: Jerian Grant and Panagiotis Kalaitzakis.
Grant averages almost 35 minutes per game in Panathinaikos's last five games. Without Sloukas, Grant had an all-around game against Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv last week, getting 13 points, 5 rebounds (all on the offensive end), 5 assists and a PIR of 15 in a 90-75 losing effort. In that game, Panathinaikos had as many asssists as turnovers, 15. Kalaitzakis had a career-best game, playing over 20 minutes for the first time this season to get 17 points and a PIR of 14. Kalaitzakis went on to get 18 points in a Greek League win. Their matchup against Lo, Shabazz Napier and recently signed Rodney McGruder should be critical for the outcome of this interesting game.
There is tradition, superstars at both ends of the floor, great coaches and a one-of-a-kind crowd. Make sure you don't miss the game on Wednesday night!